Antony and Cleopatra - Love

Love:

I think this story isn't about love, but about the dangers of what can be perceived as love. I really think both of these bozos were thinking with their proverbial dicks throughout the entirety of the play. They were too worried about who was more powerful or who had influence over the other or whether or not the other one was staying loyal. I think they passionate and irrational behavior in the name of "love" is what this play is really about. The real tragedy here is how both of the title characters abandoned themselves in hopes to please and control the other. If love means killing yourself because you think your "significant other" committed suicide even after they royally fucked you over multiple times, I'd rather pass. For me, the power of the play comes from the loss of power by the title characters. They were so caught up with their "romance" that they let go of all of their power. Maybe I just don't get love, or maybe I have a different view of what love should be. But whatever the case, if Julia had pulled half the shit that Cleo did with Antony (in a proverbial sense obviously, because neither of us are ancient world leaders), I sure as shit wouldn't go back. 

If you ask me, Antony and Cleo's love for each other was definitely due mostly to Cleo. She knew that, to maintain her empire, she would need to woo over one of the Triumvirate (which is why she had kids with Caesar Sr. and Antony). She wanted to keep him because he played an integral role with the relations between Rome and Egypt. When looking at it this way, I think their relationship was a shame from the get-go. However, if you ignore this whole bit, then you can really tinker with some interesting concepts. Namely, why was Antony in Egypt in the first place? I don't remember, so I'm just gonna explore a few reasons why:

1. HE WANTED SOME POON:

If he was just there to get laid and chillax, then he's an idiot. Obviously if this were the case, then his relationship with Cleo would be fucked from the start. There's no way in hell he should expect to be one of the three most powerful men in the world, and not get shit for just chillin' out in Egypt. His responsibility is to RUN ROME. Making peace with other kingdoms. Taking over the known world. All that jazz that normal empirical leaders do. If he was there just to get poon and chill out, then yeah. The relationship was fucked from the start. In this scenario, their "love" was the reason for their downfall.

2. HE WAS THERE FOR POLITICAL REASONS

If he was there to ensure Egypts cooperation with the Romans, then I guess his relationship with Cleo is aight. Obviously it's not ideal, because if he was truly in love with Cleo, then his loyalty could come into question (as it should if this were to be the case). However, if he loved Cleo and remained constantly and totally loyal to Rome, then don't think their relationship should have been doomed from the start. In this scenario, it would have been political reasons that ultimately ruined their "relationship."

For all of the servants, their love is out of both duty and love. Obviously Enobarbus, Chairman, and Iras all have long histories with those that they serve, and the thought of living without them must have seemed unbearable. 

The whole part where he decides to marry Octavia and completely disregards Fulvia is strange to me, as it makes it really seem like everything he does is politically motivated. However, when regarding his passions for Cleopatra, it just further convinces me how pussy-whipped he is that he would abandon thoughts of his dead wife to convince Cleo of his "love." Obviously he didn't really love Octavia, as he just went back to Egypt to keep screwing Cleo after they got married, so I'm convinced that marriage was just a political move (and a dumb one since he wasn't going to keep it). 

Anyway, I think all the characters have a fucked-up way to show love.